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Sydney, September 25: The ACS – the professional association for Australia’s ICT sector – has welcomed Labor’s announcements yesterday aimed at driving greater innovation, entrepreneurship and a startup culture in Australia.

A Labor Government has committed to creating 100,000 university placements for STEM students, a ‘Startup Year’ for 2000 final year university graduates to kick-start Australia’s aspiring young entrepreneurs, and a ‘graduate’ entrepreneurship visa to encourage and retain talented international students following the completion of their studies.

Earlier this year the ACS released Australia’s Digital Pulse – a groundbreaking report in partnership with Deloitte Access Economics – which found that in the next five years there will be a projected demand for 100,000 additional ICT workers, and this at a time when domestic ICT graduates numbers are less than 4000 annually.

ACS President Brenda Aynsley OAM, said Labor’s focus on the key issue of increasing the supply of skilled ICT workers and improving digital workforce planning is welcome.

“Australia faces critical shortages in ICT skills, which if not addressed urgently, will retard our economic growth, reduce our standards of living and result in lower job growth in the future.”

“For too long technology education and innovation have been sideline issues. Now we are seeing both the Government and Opposition pushing the importance of our digital future.”

“Australia must move quickly to better equip itself to grasp the opportunities of the digital age – there is no time to lose with other nations already achieving significant success in reorienting their economy, society, education and work. We run the very real risk of being left behind with the negative consequences of inaction and indecision.”

“The ACS is eager to work with all political parties in addressing the policy challenges and looks forward to ongoing engagement and discussion,” Ms Aynsley said.

The ACS is the professional association for Australia’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector. Over 20,000 ACS members work in business, education, government and the community. The ACS exists to create the environment and provide the opportunities for members and partners to succeed. The ACS strives for ICT professionals to be recognised as drivers of innovation in our society, relevant across all sectors, and to promote the formulation of effective policies on ICT and related matters. Visit www.acs.org.au for more information.

Sydney, August 4: The ACS has welcomed an announcement by NSW Minister for Innovation and Better Regulation The Hon Victor Dominello MP that the state will launch a world first whole of government data analytics centre.

In an announcement at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), Minister Dominello spoke of the wide range of services that would be facilitated by the analysis of NSW Government data.

ACS President Brenda Aynsley praised the initiative.

“The announcement demonstrates the importance of digital technologies in the future of service delivery. The holistic approach taken by the Minister by involving multiple stakeholders will lead to a better outcome overall, and as the professional association for Australia’s ICT sector we are looking forward to seeing the outcomes that this centre will deliver. “

“We have continually called on Government to deliver better data on the digital economy, and it is encouraging to see this call being heeded here in NSW. This is a wonderful example of how governments can capture the enormous benefits of open data and data analytics.” Ms Aynsley said.

The centre will be hosted at the UTS Data Arena, a world class facility developed to better visualise and comprehend the phenomenal amounts of data available to analysts and researchers today.

The UTS Data Arena is contained within the Faculty of Engineering and IT, who are a platinum sponsor of the 2015 Reimagination Thought Leaders Summit. For more information, visit http://reimagination.acs.org.au

The ACS is the professional association for Australia’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector. Over 20,000 ACS members work in business, education, government and the community. The ACS exists to create the environment and provide the opportunities for members and partners to succeed. The ACS strives for ICT professionals to be recognised as drivers of innovation in our society, relevant across all sectors, and to promote the formulation of effective policies on ICT and related matters. Visit www.acs.org.au for more information.

Sydney, September 15, 2015: The ACS – the professional association for Australia’s ICT sector – has congratulated Prime Minister Designate and former Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull on winning the leadership of the Liberal Party.

As Communications Minister Mr. Turnbull has served as the Patron of the ACS and in June launched Australia’s Digital Pulse – a flagship report commissioned by the ACS and prepared by Deloitte Access Economics.

ACS CEO Andrew Johnson noted the considerable value that Mr. Turnbull’s knowledge of the Communications portfolio will bring to the office of Prime Minister.

“I want to take this opportunity to congratulate Malcolm Turnbull. In today’s digital world having a former Communications Minister take the top job will bring a much needed stronger focus on innovation, technology and digital education and skills.”

“Building digital skills is critical if Australia is to secure its economic future, and Malcolm Turnbull has strong credentials in the technology space.”

“The ACS looks forward to working with the new Communications Minister and the Prime Minister as Australia builds its digital capability and strengthens its digital economy.”

The ACS (Australian Computer Society) is the professional association for Australia’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector. Over 20,000 ACS members work in business, education, government and the community. The ACS exists to create the environment and provide the opportunities for members and partners to succeed. The ACS strives for ICT professionals to be recognised as drivers of innovation in our society, relevant across all sectors, and to promote the formulation of effective policies on ICT and related matters. Visit www.acs.org.au for more information.

15 September 2015:StartupAUS, the not-for-profit organisation looking to transform Australia through promoting technology entrepreneurship, today congratulated the Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP on his appointment as Prime Minister of Australia.

CEO of StartupAUS, Peter Bradd said StartupAUS looks forward to continuing the strong working relationship it has established with Mr Turnbull.

“Mr Turnbull’s business acumen along with his knowledge of and well known support for the Australian technology sector will provide him with unique insights into the barriers facing Australian startups, particularly in terms of accessing venture capital and talent.

“As Australia enters a new era of growth, technology based startups have the potential to transform the economy and create the jobs of the future,” Mr Bradd said. “In the next two decades, startups have the potential to contribute up to $US109 billion in growth to the economy, and create 540,000 new jobs.

“StartupAUS is committed to continuing its work with Government to boost Australia’s prosperity and modernise its economy through a well supported and thriving tech startup ecosystem.

“This is a critical time for Australian startups. There is so much to be gained if we can grow this important part of our business community. But we must act swiftly and decisively in this area and we need the support of our Federal Government to lead a unified, centralised approach to building this ecosystem. We believe Mr Turnbull has the vision and conviction to do this effectively and we very much look forward to working with the Prime Minister and his Cabinet to ‘seize the day’ in support of Australia’s many startups,” Mr Bradd said.

StartupAUS is a not-for-profit entity with a mission to transform Australia through technology entrepreneurship. StartupAUS believes a strong home-grown tech sector is vital to future Australian jobs and wealth. But getting there will require a national imperative to create the right environment, with a supportive culture and more entrepreneurs with the right skills.

Australia’s third annual startup festival launches at Sydney’s Town Hall

Australia, 09 September 2015– StartupAUS together with the City of Sydney will officially launch the return of the Startup Spring festival for the third year running at Sydney Town Hall on Wednesday to kick-off the events taking place across Australia from the 10-30 September.

Startup Spring is a three-week long, Australia-wide festival of events and activities to celebrate and promote the startup community and to encourage more Australians to get involved and excited about entrepreneurship and technology.

Under a theme of ‘Growing up Global,’ the evening will feature an address by Lord Mayor Clover Moore and a panel discussion with local entrepreneurs and Sydney business leaders exploring the global opportunities on our doorstep.

StartupAUS CEO, Peter Bradd, said: “The evening will officially kick off StartupAUS’ Startup Spring festival. It’s a celebration of our emerging startup ecosystem and the night will focus on how we must encourage our local talent to think global from the get-go.”

“We will hear from local entrepreneurs as well as big-business leaders who will offer personal insight and different perspectives on how we can achieve a stronger startup scene here in Sydney and Australia-wide.”

Last month, The City of Sydney launched their Draft Tech Startups Action Plan, which StartupAUS supports as an important and timely step towards realising Sydney’s potential as a vibrant startup destination.

Mr Bradd continued: “This is the first year where we have had official city support for Startup Spring, which is an exciting and positive step forward for helping our nation transform into a strong and diverse digitally led economy. The City of Sydney is passionate about making our city a hub for tech innovation and that’s why we are so thankful for their support. We look forward to working with the City of Sydney to better this great city.”

Over the course of the next three weeks there will be events taking place across Australia, with standout events including:

Startup Spring is a three-week long festival celebrating technology, startups and entrepreneurship. Launched by StartupAUS in 2013, Startup Spring features hundreds of events and activities from all around Australia – to celebrate and promote the tech startup ecosystem and to encourage more people to get involved and excited about entrepreneurship.

About StartupAUS

StartupAUS is a not-for-profit entity with a mission to transform Australia through technology entrepreneurship.

StartupAUS believes a strong home-grown tech sector is vital to future Australian jobs and wealth. But getting there will require a national imperative to create the right environment, with a supportive culture and more entrepreneurs with the right skills.

Annual startup festival launches at Adelaide’s Town Hall 16th September

Australia, 16 September 2015– StartupAUS, the national organisation for promoting technology entrepreneurship in Australia, together with the City of Adelaide, will celebrate the return of the Startup Spring festival at a launch event at Adelaide Town Hall on Wednesday evening, 16th September.

Startup Spring is a three-week long, Australia-wide festival of events and activities to promote the startup community and to encourage more Australians to get involved and excited about entrepreneurship and technology. In it’s third year, the festival runs from 10-30 September.

This year’s event features a theme of ‘Growing up Global,’ with the evening featuring an address by Deputy Lord Mayor, Houssam Abiad, and a panel discussion with local entrepreneurs and South Australian business leaders exploring the global opportunities on our doorstep.

Dr Matthews said: “Startup Spring is an important annual event to celebrate and lift the profile of our local startup community. The launch event will focus on how we need to encourage our local South Australian talent to think global from day one.”

“We have an impressive panel line-up, ranging from successful startup founders to global business leaders, who will offer personal insight and diverse perspectives on how we can achieve a stronger startup scene both here in South Australia and Australia-wide.”

CEO of StartupAUS, Peter Bradd, said: “This is the first year where we have had official city support for Startup Spring, which is an exciting and positive step forward for helping our nation transform into a strong and diverse digitally-led economy. The City of Adelaide is passionate about making our city a hub for tech innovation and that’s why we are so thankful for their support. We look forward to working with the City of Adelaide to better this great city.”

Startup Spring is a three-week long festival celebrating technology, startups and entrepreneurship. Launched by StartupAUS in 2013, Startup Spring features hundreds of events and activities from all around Australia – to celebrate and promote the tech startup ecosystem and to encourage more people to get involved and excited about entrepreneurship.

About StartupAUS

StartupAUS is a not-for-profit entity with a mission to transform Australia through technology entrepreneurship.

StartupAUS believes a strong home-grown tech sector is vital to future Australian jobs and wealth. But getting there will require a national imperative to create the right environment, with a supportive culture and more entrepreneurs with the right skills.

Sydney AUSTRALIA, 25 August 2015: Multi Channel Network (MCN) on Tuesday announced an expansion of its MCN Multiply division to more than 60 staff, including the creation of a dedicated Multiply Integration team, as the business prepares to take on representation of Ten Network’s advertising assets from 1 September.

MCN Multiply is the umbrella brand for the company’s activations, integration and production teams. The Multiply Integration unit, which focuses on integrating advertisers into the network’s premium content, will incorporate seven staff from the Ten Commercial Integration team (previously named Ten Generate).

A new team dedicated to Ten assets has been created within the Multiply Integration unit and will report to the National Director of Partnerships and Content, Elizabeth Minogue. The team will be led by Lucinda Milton, who has been promoted to the new role of Head of Multiply Ten. For the past three years Ms Milton has worked across MCN’s channel groups, driving integrated premium revenue for their local productions. Alex O’Shaughnessy will join from Network Ten as Head of Multiply Ten Melbourne.

To lead MCN’s Digital Integration unit, which includes tenplay, MCN have promoted Tori Benzie to Head of Multiply Integration Digital. Ms Benzie has been with MCN for four years and is an expert in driving innovative digital and social brand partnerships and award winning multi-screen solutions.

Ms Minogue said the new staff structure will drive strategy and creativity for the new MCN/Ten media sales offering and help achieve MCN’s mission of delivering powerful cross-network solutions through one client brief.

“Ten will bring a wonderful new dimension to our offering and increased integration opportunities for brands,” she said. “For the first time we can deliver integrated assets across Free-to-Air, Subscription Television and digital video with a single, unified approach, providing one access point to the world’s greatest content.

“We have an amazing team of passionate integration experts who understand not just audiences and content, but the importance of clear insight to create a campaign that delivers an emotional connection. Our campaigns will be delivered across all platforms ensuring we engage with consumers across all traditional, new and emerging devices.”

In September 2015, MCN will take on representation of Ten Network’s television and digital assets. The agreement combines MCN’s existing 68 subscription television (Foxtel) channels with Ten Network’s15 free-to-air metro television channels. Ten Network includes free-to-air television channels TEN, ELEVEN and ONE in Australia’s five metropolitan markets of Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

In the digital area, the addition of catch-up and streaming service tenplay to MCN’s existing network of Telstra, Foxtel, Fox Sports and partner sites. For more information: www.MCN.com.au

Brisbane, 31 July 2015: Startup hub and coworking community River City Labs has today announced a trial partnership with muru-D, the global startup accelerator backed by Telstra, to deliver the inaugural ‘River City Labs Accelerator’ program.

Set to kick off in September, the River City Labs Accelerator program will run over 14 weeks and offer a combination of seed capital, coworking space, mentoring, training and access to global networks, to five local technology companies.

General Manager of River City Labs, Peta Ellis, said: “This partnership with muru-D is an exciting next step for us. It will be fantastic to be able to leverage muru-D’s best practices, resources and guidance to shape the content and inform the delivery of our accelerator program. Local companies will share in the wisdom of some of the most experienced business people in the world. We are thrilled to be working alongside some of the greatest tech minds in the startup ecosystem to deliver our first accelerator program right here at River City Labs.”

Applications to be part of the River City Labs Accelerator program are now open, with a Queensland regional roadshow running from 3-14 August. The roadshow events are designed to give local startups the opportunity to learn more about the program before they apply.

Entrepreneur in Residence for the program, Aaron Birkby, said: “River City Labs’ partnership with muru-D is a major win for local startups and a great endorsement of our growing ecosystem. We’re looking forward to uncovering some world class talent and finding the very best digital startups to fast-track through this intensive River City Labs Accelerator program.”

Entrepreneur in Residence at muru-D, Mick Liubinskas, added: “Brisbane has been one of the fastest growing, most active cities in Australia for early stage technology companies. Our goal is to support it by sharing all the things we’ve learned and developed at muru-D to see more successful, global companies over the next ten years.”

muru-D is the startup accelerator backed by Telstra, which aims to support the very best tech entrepreneurial talent that the Asian Pacific region has to offer. Through providing mentoring, tailored acceleration services and investment to early stage technology companies, muru-D’s goal is to help Australia and South East Asia become a centre for digital business.

·Mission program to inspire next generations of QLD tech entrepreneurs

Brisbane, August 11,2015: Startup hub and coworking community, River City Labs, today revealed the names of the 20 young tech standouts selected to be part of the 2015 ‘Startup Catalyst’ mission to Silicon Valley (28 September – 7 October). Compared to the 95 entries for 2014’s inaugural mission, this year saw 131 high-quality applications lodged, with candidates hailing from across the state, from the Gold Coast to Cairns to Brisbane.

Startup Catalyst is also supported by the Queensland Government’s Startup Queensland grant program.

Fronted by Queensland business leader and main financial backer, Steve Baxter and Ezidebit founder Michael Dempsey, the ten-day mission will see the 20 participants visit the offices of global tech companies such as Facebook, Twitter and Apple, attend networking events with startup founders and student entrepreneurs, meet with fellow Australians who are running startups in the Valley, and take part in educational events to equip them with an understanding of what is involved in launching a globally successful tech startup.

Startup Catalyst’s Joint Mission Leader, Steve Baxter, said: “A huge congratulations to all those who applied for this year’s mission, particularly the 20 chosen to come along in September. Choosing just 20 was a challenge as Project Director, Colin Kinner, and one of the tech masterminds behind the mission, Peter Laurie, were blown away with the quality of the applications.

“I’m looking forward to witnessing how the experience further equips and teaches these emerging entrepreneurs. Queensland’s startup scene will certainly be better for it,” Mr Baxter said.

Startup Catalyst’s Joint Mission Leader, Michael Dempsey, commented: “Startup Catalyst is a trip of a lifetime for all involved, myself included. Thanks to all the sponsors who have contributed to making the event a reality, I’m looking forward to bringing the knowledge and experience back to Brisbane.

“There’s no reason Brisbane and Australia cannot be at the forefront of tech venture capital so I’m hoping this will encourage not only the 20 successful applicants but budding entrepreneurs from all over to chase their dreams. It’s all within reach, just go for it,” Mr Dempsey said.

The 20 young Queenslanders joining the program are:

Jake Andersen (Tex)

Nick Burge

Samuel Colbran (Sam)

Sidney de Vries

Jaco du Plessis

Marisa Emerson

Jordan Gardiner

Jack Hallahan

Adam Hibble

Astrid Jonelynas

Thea Koutsoukis

Aimee Leong

Sam Lewis

Ben Maggacis

Tom Manderson

Krissy O’Farrell

Chris Rieger

Michael Sive

Tommi Sullivan

Kevin Upton

QUT student, Adam Hibble, said: “Silicon Valley has some of the highest performance tech innovators in the world, I am ecstatic to be able to bring back the experience and share it with students like myself. Maybe one day people will take a trip to Fortitude Valley to visit a company I start, how cool would that be?”

University of Queensland student, Marisa Emerson, added: “I’m very excited to be selected for this year’s Startup Catalyst. As an undergraduate engineering student at UQ, I am looking forward to the opportunity to meet some leaders in the field and hope that the trip will improve my professional network. I am excited to learn about how global tech businesses are created and hope the experience will be able to guide me in my future in tech.”

Executive Dean, QUT Business School, Professor Robina Xavier, said: “QUT Business School is proud to once again be a gold sponsor of Startup Catalyst. Supporting this valuable opportunity for talented young entrepreneurs is well aligned with QUT’s commitment to providing real-world experiences for our students, where they can apply their academic skills in practical industry settings. Startup Catalyst is a fantastic program that allows our locally grown talent to network and learn from the best in the world.”

Head of the School of IT and Electrical Engineering at UQ, Paul Strooper, said: “Startup Catalyst is a fantastic initiative, which is allowing UQ to better support its students by bringing their great ideas and projects to life. I am looking forward to seeing the mission transform the successful applicants from UQ into potentially leading entrepreneurs, and learning from the ideas and lessons that they bring back to Australia with them.”

Over the course of the ten-day mission, the lucky 20 will share their experiences with friends, family and social networks via the Startup Catalyst blog. You can follow their journey at: http://www.startupcatalyst.com.au/

Startup Catalyst is an annual mission to Silicon Valley for twenty young people who have the potential to be Australia’s next batch of globally successful tech entrepreneurs.

The 2015 mission will take place over a ten-day period from 28 September to 7 October 2015 and will immerse the participants in Silicon Valley’s rich culture of high-growth entrepreneurship. The group will visit the offices of global tech companies such as Facebook, Twitter and Apple, attend networking events with startup founders and student entrepreneurs, meet with fellow Australians who are running startups in the Valley, and take part in educational events to equip them with an understanding of what is involved in launching a globally successful tech startup.

ASCA and members of the community come together over morning tea, encouraging all Aussies to host their very own community event

Australia, August 27 2015: Adults Surviving Child Abuse (ASCA), on Thursday hosted the first Blue Knot Day Morning Tea for 2015 to encourage every-day Australians to host similar events in their community in the lead up to their national awareness day Blue Knot Day (Monday October 26 2015).

ASCA is the leading national organisation working to support the estimated five million adult survivors of childhood trauma and abuse in Australia[1]. This year’s Blue Knot Day is focussed on highlighting the instrumental role of diverse groups and communities in helping survivors to recover. That’s why ASCA hosted their own community event – to urge Australians to do the same with friends, family, work colleagues and their own communities.

Recent research from ASCA’s 1300 professional support line showed the severe impact of childhood trauma and abuse on not only survivors but also those close to them. From 4,000 callers to the 1300 line in the prior year, 50 per cent of survivors reported that their relationships with their immediate families were affected, 35 per cent reported impacts on their relationships with their partners and 18 per cent on parenting.

Earlier this year ASCA released a ground-breaking report which showed that as a nation, Australia could save a minimum of $9.1 billion annually by addressing the impacts of unresolved childhood trauma and abuse in adults. The report presented the annual cost per those affected for four of the major challenges faced by adult survivors of childhood trauma:alcohol abuse, mental health issues, obesity and suicide/attempted suicide.

President of ASCA, Dr Cathy Kezelman AM, said the importance of the community in the recovery of the one in four adults living with the effects of childhood trauma and abuse in Australia couldn’t be underestimated.

“Our research details the immense impact of all forms of childhood trauma across the community, not only survivors themselves. This stresses the importance of Blue Knot Day, for survivors in the first instance but also for Australia as a whole.

“Our Blue Knot Day Morning Tea demonstrates the role of the community and of ASCA uniting towns and cities across Australia to make them safer and more supportive. From our research we know that recovery is possible; we want to provide everyone the opportunity to contribute. That’s why we have created plenty of other ways for people within the community to get involved,” Dr Kezelman said.

They include:

·Host a blue event, such as a morning or afternoon tea

·Purchase Blue Knot Day merchandise including friendship bracelets and pins

· Engage in an activity to help raise funds through sponsorship and donations

·Volunteer and join our generous supporters across the country to help raise awareness and support those adults living with the effects of childhood trauma and abuse

·Donate and turn your dollars blue. Your donation will help!

·Get involved on social media using the official Blue Knot Day hashtag #BKD2015

All public Blue Knot Day events will be registered online so people across Australia who want to attend an event can either access information about one or choose to host their own if no event is listed in their area. To register an event or activity, and/or to fundraise fill out the application form online or contact ASCA via email on events@asca.org.au.

All funds raised will support the primary prevention work of ASCA through workshops for survivors, 1300 counselling support and specialist training for professionals and services.

Help and support is available from the ASCA professional support line on 1300 657 380, 9am-5pm Monday-Sunday.

ASCA is the leading national organisation supporting the estimated five million Australian adults who are survivors of childhood trauma, including abuse, their families and communities. ASCA provides hope, optimism and pathways to recovery for those affected.

At the forefront of pioneering trauma informed policy, practice and research, ASCA has been instrumental in supporting the work of the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and people engaging with it. This includes the training of key workers and practitioners.

In 2012 ASCA released Practice Guidelines for Treatment of Complex Trauma and Trauma Informed Care and Service Delivery, a global first in setting the standards for clinical and organisational practice. In 2015 ASCA released an Economic Report, The Cost of Unresolved Childhood Trauma and Abuse in Adults in Australia, leading the conversation around the economic imperative of providing the right services for adult survivors.

Formed in 1995, ASCA provides a range of services including professional phone support with trauma informed counsellors, a referral database, resources, advocacy, research, educational workshops for survivors and family members, partners and loved ones, along with training, professional development and other services for workers, organisations and professionals, including those from health and legal sectors.